Combining Stained and Painted Trim

Country Living's expert answers your questions on decorating

Dec 6, 2004

We have an older ranch with painted trim and doorjambs. We have replaced the old doors with six-panel wood doors and replaced the windows. We prefer the natural wood to paint. Is there a good way to combine the painted baseboard and natural window trim and doors? We were thinking of repainting the baseboard and doorjambs but leaving the windows, the French doors and the wood doors natural. Would this look right? Any suggestions you have on combining trim, baseboard, etc., would be appreciated. Also, any color suggestions for blending the painted with natural wood would also help. It would be a massive undertaking to replace doorjambs, etc. Thank you.

Kathy Haushalter

Dear Kathy,

I also think that stained woods are great, and they don't require as much upkeep as painted trim. The good news is that painted trim and stained trim can coexist in the same space.

One way to combine stained and painted trim in the same room is to paint the trim a color other than white. You could choose a color for your trim that matches your furnishings and leave the walls white or off-white.

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For your stained wood, consider the color of the other wood tones in the room. Do you have hardwood floors? If so, their original stained color is something to take into consideration. Also, think about the colors of any wood furniture that you have. Your room will feel more cohesive and natural if all the wood tones are similar in shade. It's okay to mix different-colored wood tones; the key is not too many. A good rule of thumb is three different wood tones in a room.

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In the room shown here the painted molding acts like a picture frame around the stained windows. Notice how the window stain plays off of the cherrywood-colored finish of the Shaker furniture. It is even repeated in the curtain rods and shutters. You can also see how similar wood tones in the same room add a sense of warmth, texture and natural depth to the space.

If you're planning on restaining your windows and doors, I recommend Minwax expert Bruce Johnson's Guide to Wood Finishing, available for free at www.minwax.com.

I also recommend testing a few stain colors on samples of scrap wood before you start your project. (Don't rely on the accuracy of the color samples in the paint and hardware stores -- which are usually faded.) Make certain that your wood samples are the same wood species as your intended project. Minwax advises that the following four factors will determine the final color: the color of the stain selected, the nature of the wood and how porous it is, how long the stain is left on (from a few seconds to a maximum of 15 minutes) and the extent of wiping when removing excess stain.